


Adapter

by known



Category: DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-04
Updated: 2015-11-04
Packaged: 2018-04-29 20:35:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5141657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/known/pseuds/known
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Koujaku's relationship with Mink changes, so does Beni's relationship with Huracan.</p><p>Side-sequel to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/5132900">Home</a> by <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/users/vein/pseuds/vein">vein</a>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Adapter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [vein](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vein/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Home](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5132900) by [vein](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vein/pseuds/vein). 



> So I was asking [vein](http://archiveofourown.org/users/vein/pseuds/vein) how I could show my appreciation for her insanely gorgeous Minkou fic, and she told me to write a corresponding Beni/Tori fic. So I. Did that.
> 
> I use 'Huracan' for Tori mostly because I like the way it sounds and looks, sorry if this offends anyone! I know there are several differing opinions about the proper translation of his name.

For the first time in weeks, Koujaku is _happy._

He finishes work early to clean the parts of his house he’s been neglecting, humming as he goes. He asks Beni to look up new recipes to try cooking different things for himself. He goes shopping and buys himself a few new shirts and a new pair of slacks. He trims his hair. He’s cut back on smoking – he even went an entire day without a cigarette this week. Beni witnesses all of this unfold, pleased but mystified.

In the weeks following the fall of Oval Tower, Koujaku had entered a listless sort of daze. He’d stopped going out with his friends, he seemed to have taken up smoking as a way to pass the time.

Beni had worried. He’d watched, and watched, and watched, trying here and there to provide helpful quips of information about mental health: The importance of maintaining connections with old friends, of exercise, of maybe not smoking _quite_ that many cigarettes, of not drinking alone. And Koujaku had been his usual old self, smiling and thanking Beni and stroking the soft feathers of his back. But there had been dark circles under his eyes, and as soon as he stopped focusing on Beni, the smile dropped again, and it was back to more of the same.

Beni couldn’t functionally understand what it felt like to be on the verge of frustrated tears, but he had been beginning to get an idea.

Then, Koujaku had invited Mink over for dinner.

“Yo, Koujaku! It seems like you’re feeling a lot better lately.” He flutters across the room to light on Koujaku’s shoulder and watch him as he busies himself with chopping vegetables.

“Oh? Ah, well. I can’t just sulk around the house forever, you know?”

“Sure,” Beni says, narrowing his eyes as he watches Koujaku’s profile. “Did something happen?”

Koujaku’s face remains so carefully blank that Beni’s suspicion intensifies, “Because, man, it seems to me like you’ve been in good spirits since Mink came over.”

Koujaku’s expression doesn’t change at all, his focus remains steadfast on his work on the cutting board as a bright red blush rises to his cheeks.

“… No fuckin’ way.”

“Wh-what!? What? I didn’t say anything!” Koujaku jerks to his side, as though he intends to wheel around and face Beni. Beni, still perched firmly on Koujaku’s shoulder, doesn’t budge.

“You and him!! You two – I thought it was weird that you didn’t bring me out of sleep mode until so late the next day! You haven’t had a single girl over! And _now!!!”_

Koujaku rubs the back of his neck, looking away. “I know it’s weird. I wasn’t planning for it to go that way, but it was – really nice. And I’m starting to realize how sick I’m getting of one night stands. I’m _tired_. It would be good to actually see someone.”

Beni sobers quickly at the weight of Koujaku’s words, at the way his voice gets quiet. He puffs up his feathers and preens a few times out of embarrassment before speaking again.

“… You know I’m always there for you, man. I don’t care who you’re with, as long as they make you happy. But if he’s bad to you, I’ll kick his ass! Don’t forget it.”

Koujaku grins. It’s a genuine expression, one that reminds Beni of just how brittle Koujaku has seemed lately. He doesn’t like it. If Mink can help it go away, who is Beni to comment?

“I won’t, Beni. I’m counting on you.”

The next time Mink comes over for dinner, Koujaku doesn’t put Beni into sleep mode, and Mink brings Tori. The instant Beni and Tori’s gazes meet, their eyes narrow.  They hold their peace for the moment while Mink and Koujaku exchange greetings. Beni is distracted by how shy Koujaku seems, the way he smiles brightly when Mink speaks, expression neutral, words kind.

Mink and Koujaku go to have dinner and leave their Allmates perched on the back of the couch in the living room.

“What do you think about all that?” Beni asks, jerking his wing towards the kitchen.

“As an Allmate, it’s not my business to have an opinion on Mink’s personal life unless asked.”

“Just because it ain’t your business doesn’t mean you don’t have one!”

“I’m sure you’ve already offered Koujaku yours.”

“What the hell! You stupid bird, you’re as obnoxious as ever.”

“My name is Huracan, now.”

Tori’s – no, Huracan’s – unshakable calm is enough to get Beni worked up into a fit, but the new information gives him pause.

“Mink named you?”

“Yes.”

“… Huh.” Beni holds grudges and his temper runs hot, but given the amount of change he’s witnessed in just a few months, he wonders if maybe it isn’t time for him to relax a little. Koujaku is different, and if what he’s witnessing is any evidence, Mink has changed, too.

“Aren’t you going to complain about something?”

Huracan, on the other hand, hasn’t changed at all, new name or no.

“What the hell!? I can’t stand guys like you, you’re just naturally unpleasant to be around! It’s fine if Mink wants to come over, but why does he have to bring _you!?_ “

“I go where Mink wishes me to. As an Allmate you should understand that much.”

“Che.” Beni ruffles his feathers and side-steps several paces away, then tucks his head beneath his wing with a huff, “I don’t have anything else to say to you.”

Time passes in silence. Once or twice, Beni peers between his feathers to catch a glimpse of Huracan, who alternates between sitting with his feathers fluffed, basking in his own body heat, and preening carefully.

Even Beni has to admit, he’s an impressive bird; his proud posture and his crest lend him a regal appearance, and his vibrant pink feathers and decorations are beautiful.

As though Huracan hears his thoughts, he pauses in the middle of preening one of his longest primary flight feathers, his eye locking on Beni’s through the gap between his feathers where he is peeking.

“Like what you see?”

“Gah--! Totally arrogant! What’s with that attitude! I just happened to look your way at the wrong time!”

Huracan’s stance gives off an air of smugness that makes Beni’s skin crawl. It makes him feel something _else,_ too,an incomprehensible sort of feeling that doesn’t map properly with his inner workings. He can’t put a claw on it, exactly what it is or where it comes from, and he doesn’t _want_ to.

“Of course. You don’t have anything to say to me.”

Beni is on the verge of speaking when a sound interrupts them from the kitchen. Mink and Koujaku are making their way from the kitchen doorway to the staircase, which leads up to Koujaku’s bedroom. Neither of them spare their Allmates a glance as they begin to climb up and out of view. As they go, Beni catches sight of their hands between their bodies, clasped loosely in one another. Beni stares after them, feeling an odd sort of perplexity sinking into his core processor. He glances over at Tori, who he is surprised to find also watching after their respective partners.

“You _totally_ have an opinion,” Beni prompts.

“It’s strange to see Mink engaging in this sort of behavior. It’s atypical of him. But the goals that drove him through his past life have all been accomplished. From here he only has the choice to forge a new path or stop living.”

Beni ruffles his feathers. “Stop living? As if that would ever be an option.” The words don’t come out as convincingly as he’d like, though. He has seen that faraway look in Koujaku’s eyes, and while he doesn’t know everything about his past, he has gathered some ideas just from paying attention.

“Humans aren’t like us,” Huracan says carefully, and for once his tone lacks the arrogant condescension he usually reserves for Beni. “They can be fragile, they can break down or falter without a purpose. That is an integral part of their mental health.”

“Yeah,” Beni says, quiet. “Sometimes, Koujaku…”

“You worry for him,” Huracan says knowingly, and it’s almost enough to make Beni annoyed again, but when his head snaps toward Huracan, he sees something else in his posture.

“You with Mink, too…?”

“I have reason to believe he had intended to return to his homeland and take his own life after his goals were accomplished. He has seen to his unfinished business, but he still remains here in Midorijima.”

Beni turns his gaze back to the empty staircase.

“… Then, maybe…”

“This isn’t such a disagreeable arrangement, after all?”

“… Yeah.”

 

It’s after midnight and there’s been nothing to indicate that Koujaku and Mink are going to come downstairs again. Beni is contemplating calling it a night and shifting into sleep mode, when Huracan speaks up.

“Do you ever spend time in your online mode?”

“Eh?”

“Koujaku should have customized yours when he first activated you. It’s the avatar that shows up during Rhyme games, but we have the ability to manifest within a Rhyme field to perform certain tasks outside of Rhyme. There are even visual representatives for retrieving data – it’s a feature designed to appeal to Allmate owners who wish to use their Allmates as companions as well as battle partners and personal computers.”

“Ah, I’ve heard of that, but Koujaku doesn’t use that feature. I think it reminds him of Rhyme too much. He hates it.”

“Mink does not use it, either.” Huracan says hesitantly. Beni thinks that’s the end of it, when he speaks again, “…Though, there is a way to access it without your owner’s initiation.  Allmates can use it to connect as a means to exchange information privately, among other things.”

“’Other things,’” Beni repeats incredulously. “Why would Allmates need to exchange information in private?”

“It can be used in sensitive situations where two owners need to convey a message to one another but cannot risk verbal communication. Or, in situations where an Allmate’s AI develops curiosity.”

Beni hesitates, eyes fixed on Huracan. He’s saying something underneath the words he’s using, or maybe he’s just being willfully cryptic to frustrate Beni. Still, he can’t deny, his interest is piqued.

“Have you done it before?”

“I have.”

“Do you know how to initiate it?”

“I do.”

Beni huffs, huddling down into his wings. He glances back at the staircase one more time, then returns his gaze to Huracan.

“Well, what are you waitin’ for, then??”

Huracan’s eyes crinkle. “You’re interested?”

“It beats sitting around doing nothing with you!”

“Sure,” Huracan says. He settles back into a comfortable position, and then his eyes go blank. Beni watches him uncertainly, before he feels a tug on something inside him, similar to the sensation that indicates wireless connections are available. He mimics the actions he would typically undergo in order to connect, and instead of the usual data, he finds a hand reaching out to him. He takes it, his sight blanking out for a moment as a feeling of disorientation sweeps through him. He has no sense of up or down, of gravity, of touch, and then, abruptly, he finds himself standing on two very different feet, with a very different posture and center of balance. He takes a staggering step forward before a broad hand catches his upper arm, righting him before letting him go.

He blinks wide eyes and looks around, taking in his surroundings. He recognizes the data field as far as the eye can see in all directions, but that’s where the familiarity ends. He turns towards the direction the hand had pulled him from, and comes face to face with a dark skinned, human-shaped chest. He adjusts his gaze slowly, tilting his head back as he looks up and up, to broad shoulders, long, pink, feather-ornamented hair, and finally a square-jawed, handsome face, half-obscured by an eyepatch.

“Hey,” a voice, familiar save for the lack of a tinny echo, sounds in his ears.

“Y-you!!” Beni takes a half step back, pointing at him in shock. Certainly, there was a considerable size difference between their Allmate bodies, but that was _natural._ They had been designed to look roughly like a real sparrow and cockatoo, respectively. _This,_ however, was completely unnecessary.

“You’re _huge!_ You’re the size of a cow! What the hell!?”

Huracan grins, exposing pointed incisors and a feral look that gives Beni that _feeling_ again, though this time, in a humanoid form, he can more easily pinpoint the location and cause of it. He shivers and takes a step back.

“Like what you see?” he asks, and Beni shrinks away before plopping down and hugging his knees.

In this position, he can see round, peach-colored toes, separated from his foot by the red strap of his geta. He’s wearing red and white silk, and when he breathes in deep he can feel the gentle tug of his obi wrapped around his middle. When he glances up at Tori through his eyelashes, he can catch a glimpse of carmine hair at the top of his head, the same color as his feathers.

“U-unfair. Why would Koujaku pick such a small avatar?”

Huracan drops down before Beni, sitting cross-legged, and looks him over, a single, piercing brown eye taking his small form in.

“Probably because he likes cute kids.”

“I-I’m not a kid!!” Beni yells petulantly, his pout intensifying. There is a glimmer of delight in Huracan’s eye.

Beni huffs and turns his head away, pretending to be distracted by taking in their surroundings.

“S-so, what is there to do here aside from be an elephant-sized asshole?”

Huracan chuckles. “If there are other Allmates nearby and they’re receptive to it, sometimes you can pull them in to talk. You can complete routine maintenance and information gathering this way, too. Sometimes it’s more interesting… Ah- _and,_ you can download custom Rhyme fields for different scenery.”

The blue lines of data around them flicker and pixelate for a moment, and suddenly they’re sitting in the middle of a pink-and-orange desert at sunset, sand warm beneath them, wind hot and arid. Beni peers around suspiciously, taking in the sights of cacti and tumbleweed, distant mountains, a painted sky.

“Huh.” He says. He knew at least peripherally about settings like these, but he hadn’t imagined he’d be able to _feel_ them like this. He was grudgingly impressed.

“This is part of what Mink’s homeland looked like. I researched it on the Internet and was able to customize a simulation field.”

Beni looks back to Huracan as he speaks. He actually looks a little proud of himself. Maybe the connection between that guy and his Allmate runsdeeper than the two of them cared to let on.

“You said that guy doesn’t use this function, though.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Huracan confirms. Beni allows himself, for a fleeting moment, to wonder if Huracan has sometimes felt that peculiar tugging at his processors, a string of data that creates a behavior set that causes something like an emotion, the way humans describe loneliness, that Allmates for all purposes should not be able to feel.

Beni puffs up his cheeks and hunches his shoulders. “Well, it’s pretty cool. So. Whatever.”

“Ha? You’re paying me a compliment?”

“D-don’t let it get to your head! It’s not like you built this yourself, you just used a great program. Super unimpressive! Lame!”

“Thank you,” Huracan says.

“There’s nothing to thank me for!”

“No, I guess not.”

Beni huffs and turns his eyes back to the sunset. To his surprise, the sky is actually growing darker, changing color as the sun sinks lower.

“This in real time?” he asks.

“Mm, it’s not intentionally synchronized with any specific place, but time passes naturally and the environment reacts accordingly.”

“Not bad.”

They sit in silence for some time. Beni slides his feet out of his geta and wiggles his toes in the warm sand. It’s almost intense, the way this digital body feels, the coarse texture and the heat and the dry, scratching feeling when he pulls his feet away to find them dusty.

He glances up to find Huracan watching him, and feels his face heat up – the same way Koujaku’s must when he blushes.

“Wh-what? It feels different, so I was just…”

“No, it’s fine. I’m glad you enjoy it.”

“I-it’s not like it’s that great!” Beni shouts then puts his sandals back on and hops to his feet. “I’m going to touch the cactus!” He announces.

“Careful,” Huracan says with a smirk, like he knows something. Beni bristles and storms away, intent on seeing just how far the reaches of this Rhyme field go, how far away he can get from Huracan.

The next morning, they’re back and present in their Allmate bodies, awaiting their owners dutifully. Koujaku is downstairs first and in the middle of cooking breakfast before Mink makes his way down, hair damp from a shower, to meet him.

They catch snippets of the conversation. Mink is a man of few words, and Koujaku rambles a little to fill the silence, but it’s not awkward. Mink doesn’t seem to mind listening to him.

Beni and Huracan share a look when Mink comes to collect his Allmate. Huracan perches dutifully on his shoulder and Koujaku walks them to the door. Beni watches in a sort of bemused charm as Koujaku grabs Mink’s arm at the last minute and kisses the corner of his mouth at the door.

“See you,” Koujaku says quietly.

“Yeah,” Mink says, in a tone that could count as agreeable for Mink.

The door closes, and Koujaku laughs a little and hugs his arms, leaning against it, smiling as a flush tints his cheeks. Beni doesn’t usually think of Koujaku this way, but he looks _cute._ Beni huffs and hops into the air, fluttering over to Koujaku and perching decidedly on his head.

“Get it together, man. You look like a schoolgirl.”

Koujaku laughs, and Beni feels his head tilt back a little as he tries to get a look at him.

“I feel like one, a little. Sorry. It’s pretty uncool of me, isn’t it?”

It’s strange for Beni to watch Koujaku, once so obsessed with his image, let himself to succumb to giddy feelings and shy goodbyes. Koujaku is usually so _cool._ But maybe that’s something that ought to change, too. Being cool might not mean much if you’re unhappy. Beni taps his feet on Koujaku’s hair.

“It’s good to see you happy, dude. Now let’s get to work!”

“Yeah,” Koujaku says, and even if he can’t see his face, Beni can hear the grin in his voice.

Three days pass in calm normalcy. Koujaku is back to flirting vigorously with his clients and the other ladies that swarm him on the street, though he doesn’t bring any of them home. Beni is back to being the cute Allmate that charms girls and gets cooed over while Koujaku talks to a few more. They’re back to their old routine, a team, and it feels good. Koujaku even takes Mizuki up on an invitation out to drink. Koujaku chatters with his old friends over a few beers, and Beni thinks, yeah, maybe this really is okay.

On the evening of the third night, after Koujaku has gone to sleep, Beni feels the tug of a network connection trying to be established. He’s already connected to Koujaku’s Wi-Fi, so he has an idea about what’s waiting for him when he sinks back and goes through the motions.

He’s ready for the hand that reaches out to him this time, and it’s not nearly as disorienting or graceless to emerge into the Rhyme field. It’s still a little daunting to have to tilt so far back to make eye contact with Huracan, but Beni is beginning to suspect that this is also part of the new routine.

“Hey,” Huracan says.

“Yo,” Beni replies, trying to sound nonchalant. “What’s the big idea, just pulling me over here like this?”

“You could have ignored me,” Huracan observes.

“Whatever,” Beni says, “It felt annoying, so I figured I’d go with it.”

Silence passes between them for a few moments, and Beni can feel Huracan’s focus on him as he looks away.

“You seem in good spirits.”

“Yeah, well. Koujaku is doing okay, so of course I’m happy. As an Allmate, you should understand that.” Beni puffs his chest out a little, looking up at Huracan, pleased to have finally gotten an edge in, spitting his words back at him. Huracan, however, looks utterly unbothered, a lazy smirk playing at his lips.

“Glad to hear it,” he says.

“So, why am I here?” Beni asks again.

Huracan shrugs, “Nothing better to do. If you’re so busy, feel free to leave.”

Beni huffs and shrugs a shoulder. “Nah. “

Huracan seems satisfied with the answer. The Rhyme field around them warps and pixelates the same way it did last time, and in a few seconds the two of them are standing in the desert again. Now, the sun is completely set, the moon and what seems like an impossible number of stars illuminating the cloudless sky and casting their own light onto the ground. Beni can’t help but look up at it in wonder. The sky over Midorijima is never this bright.

“It’s because of light pollution,” Huracan remarks, as though he’s read Beni’s mind. His gaze is also turned upward. “In the middle of the desert, when you’re far away from any towns, there’s nothing to obscure the light of the stars, so they’re much more visible.”

Beni tears his gaze away from the sky, looking at Huracan instead.

“Have you ever seen a sky like this?”

“No,” Huracan admits.

“But Mink has?”

“I would assume so.”

“Do you love Mink?”

The question is out before Beni can rethink it. He’s embarrassed to have spoken his mind so plainly, but Huracan doesn’t seem perplexed. Quiet stretches out between them. Huracan’s lips are pursed, his single visible eye reflecting the starlight as it stares into space, thoughtful.

“I don’t know,” he says, honestly.

“Do you feel like – you want to protect him?” Beni ventures.

“Isn’t that natural? For an Allmate to keep their owner safe. That’s our purpose.”

“Maybe, but…” Beni blushes a little, watching his own feet as he scuffs a few stones around in the sand. “I feel like it would be okay if I got deactivated for Koujaku. I wouldn’t mind being recycled for parts if it would benefit him. I don’t _want_ to be deactivated, you know? I like being awake and I like processing the new information I take in. I like chatting with his girlfriends and his clients. I like hanging out with Ren, even if we don’t do that as much anymore… But I would rather be taken apart and gone if it meant Koujaku could be happier. Do you—Is that normal, too, do you think?”

Beni looks up sheepishly, finds that Huracan is watching him. He shivers, only in part because of the cool desert air.

“Is that what love is?” he asks, and Beni is all set to go on the defensive, but when he looks at Huracan, he realizes he’s not making fun of him.

“I… How should I know? I’m just an Allmate.”

“What do you think I am?” Huracan asks, bemused.

“Ah—No, I just…” He flushes again, more deeply this time, and kicks a rock off into the distance. “When humans talk about love, isn’t that the kind of thing they say? Or, what is it… Unconditional love? Like, it doesn’t matter what happens to me, as long as you’re happy.”

“That sounds more like idiocy to me,” Huracan reasons.

“What!? Well, fuck you, man! You’re the one who drags me out to show me the night sky of your owner’s past. I don’t have time for your sentimental bullshit if you’re just going to—“

Beni cuts himself off upon glancing up, realizing Huracan has abruptly closed the space between them. He’s looming over him, the difference in their heights more accentuated than ever.

“It’s okay,” Huracan says, something low and unreadable in his voice, “I knew you were an idiot from the start.”

Then their mouths are pressed together, and it’s the strangest thing. Like the desert sand, like the flush on his cheeks, like the smile on Koujaku’s face when he looks at Mink, Huracan’s lips are warm.

***

The next time Beni sees Huracan, it’s when Mink brings him over for another date with Koujaku. It’s four days after their last encounter in the Rhyme field, and as Mink sets Huracan down on the back of the couch to perch beside Beni, uncomfortable silence stretches between them.

Koujaku laughs a little, “You two are quiet today,” he remarks. Mink just grunts and, after a moment, offers Koujaku his arm. Koujaku takes it and the two of them make their way to the kitchen. Beni watches their retreating figures with a baleful expression. Good for Koujaku, but what about _him?_

He glances at Huracan, sidesteps several feet away in rapid succession until he is at the very end of the couch. Huracan makes no move to follow him, just stays where he is, a bit of a slump in his usual proud posture.

The silence that stretches on is awkward and deafening. Beni can catch quips of Mink and Koujaku’s conversation from the kitchen, just little bits of this and that. Mink is talking more than usual, which is still less than an average person, but that’s good. Koujaku deserves this after all he has been through.

Beni glances at Huracan. He’s still not looking his way, just staring placidly at the wall across the room. No harm in that. Maybe this night can just pass in silence, and they can resume ignoring one another for the rest of their lives. Right?

Wrong. Wrong, there’s absolutely no way that’s going to fly. Allmates don’t sweat, but Beni feels the very real emotion of stress that would surely cause a human to begin to perspire, and oh man, his internal monologue sounds just like _Ren,_ what is _happening_ to him? He needs to get out, maybe.  Koujaku really should be thinking about _his_ mental health every once in a while, too. He’s just a humble sparrow. What did he do to deserve this? He can’t take it anymore. He feels like he’s going to short circuit. He puffs all his feathers out to look as big as possible, opens his wings a little, whirls on his geta to face Huracan, and says

“I—“

“I—“ Huracan says at the same time.

Both of them freeze, staring each other down. Huracan bobs his head up and down a few times, his crest flaring and receding in time with his movements.

“No, you go,” he says.

“No no no no nonono I think _you_ ought to go,” Beni says hastily, flapping his wings.

“I apologize for being so forward the other evening. Maybe you’re right; My behavior was sentimental.”

Beni deadpans, staring down the line of his beak. Then he hops up from his spot on the back of the couch and begins fluttering around the room in a rage.

“Too sentimental!? Too forward!? You think _that’s_ an apology? You _kissed me!!_ You kissed me after all of this, _oh, but I’m just an Allmate,_ and _ohhh Beni, as an Allmate shouldn’t you understand that,_ and _oh but I don’t know about feelings I’m just there to help Mink blah blah blah!!!,_ what a joke! What an absolute joke!” Beni lands with a thud directly in front of Huracan, and jabs at his feathered chest with his longest flight feather.

“You can’t just _do_ shit like that, man! You can’t just kiss your friend! You ca—“

“Friend?” Huracan interrupts, and Beni freezes.

“Wh- wh- wh- WHATEVER! It’s a colloquial term! For stupid bird that I know! Shit!”

“Beni,” Huracan begins, and it’s the first time the idiot cockatoo has used his name, so he’s at least halfway inclined to listen.

“What?”

“I see now that my actions were ill-received and unwelcome. I acted on a whim. It seems the algorithms programmed into our AI make us less predictable than we would always like. I apologize.”

Beni hesitates. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. So, please. I would like to resume our conversations, when you feel comfortable.”

Beni eyes Huracan suspiciously. He sidesteps around him, looking him over, like some flaw in his preening or a hint of poor posture might give him away. After a few rounds, he finds nothing to nitpick, so he just sighs, nestling deeper into his own feathers as he keeps a watchful glare on him.

“Fine. It’s not like there’s anything better to do while Koujaku and Mink hang out. So…”

“We’re okay?” Huracan asks, tone cautious.

“We’re okay,” Beni says grudgingly.

 

The thing is, they’re _not_ okay. They pass the evenings together in companionable enough silence, or occasionally exchange small talk or simple observations about this or that, but there’s _tension,_ too. The worst part is, Beni is beginning to expect the tension is one-sided, only on his part.

He’s guarded around Huracan, even in their Allmate bodies. He’s waiting for _something._ A comment, a shift in posture, _anything._ Even when they’re apart, it’s almost like he’s searching behind himself in virtual space, waiting for that hand to reach out for him.

It never comes, though. Huracan seems to be honoring his apology and respecting their boundaries. Beni doesn’t know what to make of it. This is what he _wanted,_ and yet…

It’s disappointing.

He remembers the warmth of Huracan’s mouth on his own avatar’s lips.

He remembers the two nights they spent in the synthetic desert that felt so _real._ And it was – nice. It was good, to have someone to sit beside and stare at the sky with. Even if it was an arrogant, ill-natured, poor-tempered shitty cockatoo.

And he’s restless, suddenly. He puffs out his feathers and hops around on the floor. He finds an old bobby pin under Koujaku’s bed, a relic of one of his past lovers, and picks it up in his beak, tossing it around out of lack of anything better to do. As an AI unit, he’s not supposed to have excess, pent-up energy, but he finds it regardless. Nothing helps. Nothing fixes it.

Four more days pass, and Beni is at his limit. Even Koujaku, love struck and busy with work, notices.

“Beni, you’ve been acting off lately. Do you need me to run diagnostics?”

“Ah—No, man. I’m fine. Just distracted, I guess. Because I’m so happy for you.”

Koujaku grins and ruffles the fuzz on top of Beni’s head with the tip of his finger. “You’re too much. Let me know if you need anything, though. I don’t always catch updates right away.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” Beni says easily, laughs it off, chats up two of Koujaku’s clients as they titter about how precious he is.

The thing is, Beni wishes it _was_ just an update. He wishes he’d caught a virus off of some spam mail. He wishes he just needed a defrag, but he knows that’s not it. The only problem in Beni’s artificial life is Huracan.

So, that night, after Koujaku has gone to sleep, Beni sinks back into himself. He browses through his cache of old connections and URLs, a separate window opened in the corner of his mind with how-to pages on Allmate connections and Rhyme field initiations. He finds what he needs, finds the IP address he is looking for, and reaches his hand out into the darkness.

It only takes a second before he feels another, larger hand grip back.

He’s face to face with Huracan, now – or as close to face-to-face as they can get, Beni is still caught straining his neck to look upwards to meet his eyes. He takes a step back to make it easier, to put some air between them.

“Yo,” he says, trying to seem casual and undoubtedly failing.

“Beni,” Huracan says.

“Look, I—“ he trails off, thinking to himself. Why did he do this? It was a bad idea. He feels the artificial feeling of his artificial heart pounding in his artificial chest, and the worst part is, even if he knows it’s just lines of code, it feels so _real._ Of course, Beni is – all of them are, at their core – AI, so artificiality is the only thing he knows. Of course it’s real. Artificial is as natural as it gets for him. Still-

“I know things have been weird, and I kind of freaked out about- that thing, that happened. The other night, but…”

Still-

“I was thinking…”

Maybe with the right amount of legwork, something real could transpire between two artificial things.

“Maybe we could try again? You know,” he flushes, “With a little more preparation.”

There’s something satisfying about the utterly baffled look on Huracan’s face, his one exposed eye fixed uncertainly on Beni. It gets better when Beni takes a step towards him and Huracan almost, _almost_ shrinks back.

“Maybe, with the tables turned,” Beni presses, and grabs the collar of Huracan’s shirt, tugging him down as he stands up on his toes in his geta to let their lips meet.

It’s a quiet and lingering kiss, just the touch of their mouths, and when Beni draws back, cheeks aflame and gaze uncertain, Huracan’s gaze is focused on him and nothing else.

“What I’m saying is—“

“That’s enough,” Huracan says, and pulls Beni back in for another kiss.

Their lips part against one another this time, and Beni feels Huracan’s tongue roll along his lower lip before pressing into his mouth, the tip of their tongues brushing together before sliding against one another, tasting. Beni opens his mouth wider for Huracan, feels him deepen the kiss, and it’s almost too much. He moans into his mouth, the hammering of his own heart echoing in his ribcage. Are Allmates even supposed to _do_ this independently of their owners? Is this really what he wanted?

But even as his mind and heart race, his body acts of its own accord. He wraps his arms around Huracan’s neck, feels his muscles tense as Huracan, in turn, winds his arms around Beni’s waist and straightens his back. It’s a matter of seconds before Beni’s feet leave the ground, and, scrambling for purchase, he wraps his legs around Huracan’s waist.

“H-hah!” he breaks the kiss, gasping for air and blushing feverishly as a _new_ sort of stimulation is added onto their embrace.

Beni knows the basics of human physiology – it’s common knowledge to any Allmate, whose basic task is monitoring the vitals of their owner, and Koujaku is _nothing_ if not experienced in sex and intimacy. Still, it’s one thing to know that someone else is feeling a certain way, and another thing entirely to feel it yourself.

He can’t help but rub himself against Huracan a little as they continue to kiss. He’s not hard yet, but the stimulation feels good, and Beni is new to all of this. It’s wonderful, it’s great, it’s hot, it’s mortifying. He should pull away, he should stop, he should—

He feels Huracan’s broad, warm palms reach down to grab his ass, hauling them even closer together and they continue to kiss. Huracan lets out a groan as he squeezes Beni, and Beni moans softly in turn.

They pull apart panting for air, and there’s a blush dark enough to show even on Huracan’s brown skin. Their eyes meet, and Beni flushes before tearing his gaze away, turning his head.

“I- I wasn’t expecting this,” Beni grits out, burying his blushing face against Huracan’s shoulder, “Is this a good idea?”

Huracan hesitates for a moment, then Beni feels him slowly lower them both to the ground, so Huracan is sitting cross-legged and Beni is in his lap, legs draped over Huracan’s hips, ankles crossed behind him. He looks up at him warily.

“What was it you said? It beats sitting around doing nothing with someone like you.” Huracan grins again, that sharp expression and glint in his eye that makes Beni squirm in his lap.

“Anyway,” Huracan continues, “It feels good, don’t you think? It’s a new experience for both of us. Why not?”

“Even if you say ‘why not,’ it’s still…”

“Scared?”

“Wh-what!? No way! Fuck you, man! I’m not _scared_ of kissing some idiot giant bird!” He shoves at Huracan’s chest a little, then pauses, letting his palms flatten there instead. His skin is warm and soft, and he can feel the powerful, firm muscles beneath it. He bites his lip. Huracan rolls his hips just slightly, pressing their groins together, and much to his own horror, Beni lets out a quiet groan.

“Wipe that smirk off your face,” Beni mutters through his blush. Huracan chuckles, voice low.

“Maybe you could help me.”

Just like that, they’re kissing again. It’s shy and tentative at first on Beni’s part, little, pecking kisses to pull at Huracan’s lips and get used to the feel of them. Huracan is patient this time, not pushing or forcing any advancement, letting Beni take the lead.

With that, Beni’s confidence steadily grows. He opens his mouth, lets their lips drag together, the gentle reciprocation from Huracan sending a jolt of heat down his spine. It _does_ feel good, and Huracan is way less obnoxious with his mouth occupied. So…

Beni leans up a little in his lap, tilting his head to the side to deepen the kiss. He runs his tongue along Huracan’s lower lip, considering, then lets it slip into his mouth. The tips of their tongues meet, and the sensation excites him. Of all things, Huracan tastes like cinnamon.

He keeps the play of their tongues shallow and teasing, just gentle pressure and movement against one another between mouths that aren’t completely sealed together. It’s almost more embarrassing this way, with their breaths mingling between them before passing into one another’s lungs.

More than that, though, it leaves each of them without a way to stifle the sounds they’re making. They feel almost reflexive to Beni; it startles him to hear the noises he’s making. Huracan is more quiet, more inclined to low, breathy sighs and soft groans, but they’re still _there_ and they still make Beni shudder, get him hot.

Huracan’s large hands finally leave Beni’s waist, gently working to loosen the knot of his obi and push his clothes down his shoulders.  Beni pauses, nervous at being more exposed, but then the warmth of Huracan’s palms begins to travel up the planes of his belly and chest. Beni shuts his eyes and leans into the touch. He can’t help it.

“You’re so small,” Huracan murmurs, the tone teasing but not cruel.

“W-well, nh… _Sorry,_ ” Beni manages, arching into the way Huracan is making him feel.

“I like it,” Huracan says, and Beni has enough to time to feel his dick twitch between his legs, to feel the tips of his ears grow hot, before Huracan’s thumbs begin to tease at his nipples.

“Nh—Ah! That’s—“ He makes an embarrassing keening sound and tries to clamp his mouth shut to muffle it. Huracan laughs and pinches each of Beni’s nipples between his thumbs and forefingers, rolling them experimentally as he leans back to watch Beni’s face.

“You’re sensitive here,” he observes, voice dark with arousal. He leans in to kiss along Beni’s jaw as he gives his chest a gentle tug.

“Nn-nooo, I’m—It’s—“ Beni whines, canting his hips to get the pressure and heat of Huracan’s body between his legs for some relief, all while arching up into the ache of his nipples, “Th-this isn’t – what guys…”

“Haa? You’re a guy, aren’t you? I don’t mind if you like this. I like doing it to you.”

Beni bites his lip. Huracan is being so straightforward, he wonders if he’ll be made fun of later. The pleasure and dull ache his body is experiencing at his hands is so good, in the moment it’s difficult to worry about _later._ The pressure between his legs as his cock strains against his clothes is growing unbearable, so Beni shifts in an effort to relieve it, rocking his hips against Huracan’s abdomen. He cries out at the rush of pleasure the stimulus causes, trying to still himself, shy.

“It’s okay,” Huracan says, twisting his nipples and licking the shell of his ear, drawing another sound from the back of Beni’s throat, “Go on. Take your pleasure. I want to see it.”

His words and his touches drive Beni on, so all he can do is squeeze his eyes shut and press his clothed cock tight against Huracan’s abs and rub himself off there. He must look absurd, humping against the body of his old rival, half dressed and panting as Huracan teases his nipples. The worst part is that he _knows,_ he knows how ridiculous it is, and he can’t bring himself to care. He shifts his position, kicking off his geta and planting his feet flat on the ground to give himself more leverage, rolling his hips and straining against Huracan in short, quick little thrusts. The friction is delicious and hot, the fabric of his pants rubbing against his sensitive cock over and over.  The cloth is damp from his precome, and when he moves in just the right way, a lewd, wet sound can be heard between them.

“H-hah,” Beni whimpers, clutching onto Huracan’s thighs as he opens his legs wider, arching his back and changing his angle so that just the head of his cock is being stimulated, repeating the same movements over and over, chasing his spiking pleasure until finally it hits him, his vision whiting out as orgasm makes his body quiver and pulse, wave after wave coursing between his legs as he makes a mess in his pants.

He shudders, arms and thighs trembling from the exertion of supporting his body weight. They almost give out, but Huracan supports him, pulling him close, and Beni wraps his arms around his back and holds himself there, pressed close and gasping to regain his breath.

“I didn’t know you could be so lewd,” Huracan murmurs against his hair, and Beni feels his whole body tense, blush overtaking his skin anew.

“You _said-_ “

“I did,” Huracan says gently, and Beni feels him place a kiss on top of his head. “I meant it.”

It takes a long time for Beni’s legs to stop feeling like jelly. He offers to help Huracan with his own arousal, but Huracan declines gently, kissing Beni’s lips to quiet any further protests. They rest together in the blank rhyme field until it’s close to the time when Mink and Koujaku are due to wake up. Beni says a quiet, shy, goodbye, kissing the corner of Huracan’s mouth, and only in retrospect does he realize how closely he mirrored Koujaku’s farewell to Mink.

 

The next time they see each other is in Allmate form, when Mink comes for his now-typical weekend dinner with Koujaku. It’s been a month since they started this routine, and even though they still only see each other once a week, Beni knows they’ve been messaging at least every other day. Koujaku’s spirits have stayed high, and his anxiety about what to make for dinner is almost completely gone.

(“Isn’t it about time that guy makes _you_ dinner?” Beni had asked.

Koujaku had just laughed, “We’ll get there.”)

Mink lets Huracan perch on his usual spot beside Beni on the back of the couch. Usually, after this, he and Koujaku retreat immediately to the kitchen, but this time Koujaku slides close to Mink.

“Want to go upstairs?”

“Now?” Mink asks, lifting an eyebrow. Koujaku blushes.

“Well, we don’t _have_ to-“

“No, that’s fine. I was just surprised. I’d like to.”

Beni and Huracan stare after them, deadpan and silent until they disappear up the stairs.

“Unbelievable,” Beni says flatly.

“They’re quite taken with one another, it seems.” Huracan comments idly. Beni puffs out his chest.

“ _Well,_ as long as Koujaku is happy.”

“As long as Mink is satisfied,” Huracan agrees. Beni finds himself unable to turn around and face him. Shyness is a useless feeling for an Allmate, but he feels it all the same. He hunches down into his feathers a little, trying to find something to say, when he feels the warm bulk of Huracan’s feathers closing around him, standing over him the way a penguin might with its hatchling.

“Oi!! What do you think you’re—“

Before he can finish his sentence, Huracan begins to preen him gently. It’s absurd, his massive, hooked beak running over Beni’s small, blunt feathers, but he does it regardless. Beni is embarrassed, but more than anything, it feels _nice,_ particularly now that Beni has experienced the sensations as they manifest in his online form.

Beni shuts his eyes hesitantly, tries to relax his small, robotic body and enjoy the feelings Huracan is giving to him.

“It’s not so bad, right?”

“… Guess not,” Beni says.

 

**xxx**

 

Mink and Koujaku return downstairs to get started on dinner. Mink pauses mid-step on his way to the kitchen, eyes locked on the back of the couch.

“Hm? What is it-“ Koujaku follows Mink’s gaze and his jaw drops. Huracan is leaning over Beni, feathers fluffed out, Beni’s head emerging from a sea of pink down. Both of them are in sleep mode.

“… Hang on,” Koujaku says, opening a screen on his coil and bringing up the camera app.

“You’re going to blackmail your own Allmate?” Mink asks flatly.

Koujaku grins, “What? It’s not blackmail. Anyway, it’s really cute, my clients will love it.”

Mink shrugs and kisses Koujaku’s cheek before making his way to the kitchen to start on dinner. Koujaku snaps a few shots at different angles and nabs a close-up before shutting the screens on his coil and trailing after Mink.

Once they’re alone again, Huracan cracks open an eye and shuffles backwards and away from the sleeping Beni.  He’ll surely get grief for this, but it will be worth it to see Beni squirm as Koujaku shows off the pictures to his clients.

Huracan has a hunch he knows how to make it up to him, anyway.


End file.
